werp
New User
hi. we have been offered some hay but it was not left to dry long enough in the field so it's green in the middle. will this dry out in storage? if it stays green is it safe to feed?
thanks
thanks
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advice needed on hay
- Thread starter werp
- Start date
pottamus
Well-Known Member
By green do you mean it is grass like rather than just green but dry meadow hay? If it has not been dried properly and baled as hay I would not touch it with a barge pole, it will turn to mouldy crap.
Dry Rot
Well-Known Member
Hay should be green. It loses it's colour because it bleaches in the sun which is how most hay ends up!
The question you need an answer to is whether it was dry when baled -- and is it dry now? If it was damp when baled, you'll notice the bales are warm inside as it heats up due to bacterial action. Can you not take a bale, or at least a sample, to someone who knows about hay and ask what they think? It is very difficult to give advice on a forum because everyone has different ideas and hay is hugely variable.
The question you need an answer to is whether it was dry when baled -- and is it dry now? If it was damp when baled, you'll notice the bales are warm inside as it heats up due to bacterial action. Can you not take a bale, or at least a sample, to someone who knows about hay and ask what they think? It is very difficult to give advice on a forum because everyone has different ideas and hay is hugely variable.
JillA
Well-Known Member
If it wasn't properly dry, it will heat up in the stack. The old way to tell if this was happening was to insert a metal bar deep into the stack. If the inner end is warm when you remove it after a few hours, the hay will become mouldy (if it doesn't spontaneously combust anyway!!).